As July slowly turns to August, off-days become two-a-days and the shrill of whistles will fill the summer air. With or without an NFL lockout, high school football will return to Southeast Ohio.
Of the six Tri-Valley Conference teams, the three closest to Athens — Nelsonville-York, Alexander and Athens high schools — finished first, second and third in 2010. Maintaining the top spots will require all three to take advantage of their on-field experience.
“The most important thing is leadership from your senior class,” said Alexander coach Sean Arno.
These teams compete in the TVC-Ohio division and have finished in the top three each of the past two seasons. A crowded conference top will leave little room for error, and key contests among the three might determine the champion.
With a first-place finish in the TVC-Ohio last season, Nelsonville-York is looking to follow a culture of winning that has led to a conference title two of the last three years.
NELSONVILLE-YORK
“It’s tradition here that we win and be successful,” said coach Dave Boston. “We’ve had a great history here in Nelsonville-York football, and (the team members) want to be a part of that history.”
With a four-year starter at quarterback in Nathan Dean and a ground game that glided through the opposition, Boston said his team has the veterans to repeat as TVC champs.
“We’re just looking for great leadership from our seniors, and if we get that, we’re going to be a good football team,” he said.
Boston has instilled belief in a system that has kept his team’s confidence high coming off an undefeated season in conference play.
“They believe in what they do, and they sell out for what it’s all about, and these kids know what it’s about here,” he said. “The last two years, we’ve had a lot of young kids playing for us, and this is a good veteran senior group of young men that know their role and understand what we expect from them.”
ALEXANDER
Alexander will return multiple playmakers this season on offense but will lose just as many. Leading rusher Cody Lawson and passer Michael Chapman both graduated, leaving a void for the rest of the Spartans to fill.
“Last year, even though we were successful, we had a lot of injuries,” Arno said. “So a kid like Trey who was a receiver, was our quarterback-fullback, and for a majority of the season, he played between those two positions.”
Flexibility and dealing with adversity have always been key for Alexander, and this year should be no different. Arno said versatility can be a great tool to prepare his kids for difficult situations.
“We train kids to know at least two offensive jobs and two defensive jobs,” he said. “Last season, the negative was we did have injuries. The positive is a lot of those kids had to step into those jobs and play those roles.”
ATHENS
Heartbreak was a theme last season for Athens. With 1-point losses to rival Alexander (missed PAT on the last play of the game) and in the season finale against Nelsonville-York, the Bulldogs are looking forward to 2011 and a new start.
“This team doesn’t have an identity yet, but I know they’re eager to get to work, and they are getting to work,” said coach Ryan Adams.
The Bulldogs also had to deal with adversity on the field in 2010, literally, as tornado damage left their home stadium unplayable. This year, Athens will return home.
Adams said the team is eager to start the season.
“They’re excited to be able to get out there and play on their new field,” he said. “We were very grateful that OU allowed us to come in and utilize their field. … But I think our guys will be happy to be able to play out in The Plains next season.”
TRIMBLE
Three losses to three of the region’s top teams left the Tomcats in second place in the TVC-Hocking last season. While 7-3 is a good record for most teams, coach Phil Faires said it would be the worst-case scenario for Trimble in 2011.
“Anything less than that would be a disappointment,” he said.
Trimble returns depth at the offensive skilled positions but still has uncertainty at quarterback. Sophomore Connor Stanley could be an early favorite, but Faires said the competition is still open.
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